Atlanta Fish Market

12/29/07

Good food & service.......... terrible atmosphere & seating.

by gidget5382 at Citysearch

We had a reservation and were seated after 1 drink at the bar. It was just my husband & I for our anniversary dinner, we had read all the rave reviews & had to come here.

We were seated at a McDonalds style 2 seater cafe table. Servers were rushing past us the entire meal and our food only just fit on the tiny table! We pretty much felt we were in the way and like sheep herded to one side. My husband ordered Crab legs on a steak, but they had run out (at 7pm), so he ordered crabcakes instead. I got the lobster & both meals were brought out prompty & cooked perfectly.

We had no complaints about the food or the service. Our waitress was pleasant and friendly & was knowlegable of the menu. The atmosphere of the place was just terrible, there was no ambience. Definitely not a romantic restaurant, they packed so many people in there to maximize profit that all you could hear was a mixture of conversations & the clanking of plates and cutlery (i felt like I was in a mall food court). I would maybe come back here in a large group, but that's it!

• Pros: Good food, great service
• Cons: No ambience, bad seating

12/21/07

does not live up to so-called high standards

by mashka00 at Citysearch

I can?t tell you anything about AFM?s food because I didn?t get to taste it. My husband and I walked in during the afternoon (day after Thanksgiving) and they were not busy at all. The hostess was on the phone taking a reservation. I was a bit taken aback that she never once smiled and acknowledged us when we walked up to the hostess stand. She didn?t even lift her head once. A friendly smile would have been sufficient to let us know that she saw us and that she would get to us as soon as she could, but that must have been too much to ask. Perhaps she did not want to be there on that particular day, but she needn?t take out her frustrations on the customers. The ?hostess? finally did put the phone down and only asked us for our last name and how many there were in our party.

The "manager" was rude and condescending. It seems that some other folks have posted negative comments about him. I am assuming that it is the same person because it sure sounds like him. Anyway, I lost my appetite by a comment that he made about me to the server. Apparently he must think that he knows me somehow (we?ve never met). She came over to the table acting a bit sheepish. She started to take our order. I told my husband that he could eat but that I didn?t want to. He protested, saying that I should eat something. He had not caught on to what had offended me. We then agreed to leave without ordering anything. We told the waitress that we would pay for the drinks and leave. She said not to worry about the drinks. The same hateful manager came outside to try to ask us if there was a problem and try to convince us in a cheesy, weak, and pathetic way to come back and give them ?another chance.? I responded to him that he was actually was the problem, and that I refused to eat at a place where I am not treated with respect. Will I ever go back there? That remains to be seen. I just hate to give my money to Buckhead life and make those folks who are so undeserving any richer.

• Pros: none
• Cons: doesn't live up to high standards it claims to have

12/21/07

TRAP

by traptrap at Citysearch

Food and presentation were very average. Prep. for shell fish was not good. Sevice was not so bad.

11/29/07

Worst Experience in Atlanta Yet!

by eastvillageboy at Citysearch

We went because my father wanted too. That's all I'm going to say. I knew better. Nothing was good from the time we entered the door. One note I need to mention, servers should NEVER have bad personal habits like- Telling us about "their" personal stuff.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Horrible Company, but I knew that before going....

10/18/07

nice space, fair service, high price

by francesfr at Citysearch

Firstly, the decor hasn't changed much over the years and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The ceiling is high and the main room is spacious. There are more intimate dining areas towards the front. Whatever you do, do not let them seat you in the back room which has the feel of a basement. The bar area is fine for drinks or dining. Second, the service is OK. Not too bad, but not great. The food was too rich, either too salty, or too buttery. Therefore if you do try this restaurant I recommend sticking with the bare bones broiled or Hong Kong style. But stay away from the overly cheesy whipped potatoes. Because most dishes were highly fattening and too rich to eat I do not plan on returning. However, smart choices of salad w/ light dressing can be ordered.

• Pros: fun decor
• Cons: pricey, most dishes overly buttery or salty

08/27/07

NOT THAT GREAT!!!! NOT WORTH THE $120.00 I SPENT!!

by isittootight at Citysearch

Went to the fish market on yesterday evening...to start the waitress we had was not attentive, she did not come back to the table to check to see if we when needed anything, to check on how our food tasted, she didn't ask if we needed refills on drinks..the only time we saw her is when she took our order. (that's ok, I usually tip 20% she only got 5%)

Second, I order the Carolina Salmon Trout...OMG! Big mistake...u see I went to the Atlanta Fish Market 7 years ago and had bad food then...I figure I would give it another shot because my fiance said he's never gone before...U couldn't taste the Macadamia Honey Butter Sauce...the spinch was very bland, as if they warmed frozen spinach up in the micrwave, the whipped sweet potatoes were ok, I tried the fried lobster tail (appetizer menu) Was not good at all!

McKendrick's Steak House on Ashford-Dunwoody has the best Lobster Tail I have tasted thus far...I have yet to go to Chops to sample theirs....

Lastly, I would not recommend this place at all....FOOD AND SERVICE NOT THAT GREAT!!!!

• Pros: Valet Parking
• Cons: EVERYTHING!! FOOD!! SERVICE!

08/14/07

Horrible manager, ok food.

by jpcurler at Citysearch

Having worked in the restaurant industry in the past, I hold Buckhead Life Group Restaurants to a high standard. I have been here a handful of times and each time the food was just acceptable. I gave it second, third, and fourth chances, but it just didn't meet the standard of the other Buckhead Life restaurants. I also have never seen such a horrible manager. I always pay attention to the way a restaurant is run, and I've never seen anything like this. The manager is very rude to people he works with including employees and wine/food sales people. Once I sat at the bar having a cocktail and watched a winemaker come to present products. The manager said he'd be right back and then left to never return. The winemaker waited for an hour, only to have the bartender tell them that the manager went home. What kind of business is this guy running? Who does this guy think he is to have someone who traveled across the country to see him sit there like a donkey. Another time, half of his waitstaff were "tasting" liquor before their shift at the bar, while he was again being rude to some wine distributor. They "tasted" every whiskey, bourbon, and scotch at the bar, and that is not an exaggeration. Back at the restaurants I used to work at, we would have been fired on the spot for getting drunk at the bar before a shift. I will never go back this restaurant after the disappointing food and the poor management.

• Pros: Buckhead; waitstaff
• Cons: management, food

07/28/07

Overpriced average fish

by lanadaf at Citysearch

I got the whole sea bass and expected a huge fish for five star prices... i ordered the fish well done and it came mushy... draft beer is nyc prices... i just expected more for the 5 star restaurant prices. id rather go to a small bar and pay 1/2 the price for the same quality

07/27/07

Atlanta by the Sea

by fogtownrog at Citysearch

I have had the pleasure of dining here at least two or three times a month since the beginning of the year. Normally my friend and I sit in a booth at the bar and are spoiled with attentive service and the very freshest fish. Portions are hearty! The appeitzers, salads and entrees are tasty! The wait staff are attentive and helpful. One night we had not such great service and the manager apologized profusely and ensured that our next visit would be a pleasant one. Kudos for the Buckhead Life Group. Every one of their establishments are first class!!!

• Pros: Freshest fish, great service, friendly staff, valet parking is quick and easy!
• Cons: They are so popular the place is always packed! Its a large house, so the waits aren't long!

07/22/07

Delicious entrees, good for diverse groups

by sttarlite at Citysearch

My husband and I went to the Atlanta Fish Market Friday night. We were about 5 minutes late for our reservations because of traffic, and it was another 5 minutes before we were seated. We opted to skip the appetizers and get salads instead. His cesar salad was good, and my "AFM" dinner salad was good. His said his blackened Alaskan halibut was an incredible piece of fish and worth the $24 price. I had a good linguini pasta dish without seafood since I can't stand seafood. Dessert for my husband was a hazelnut chocolate cake, and I got the toffee chocolate pie. Both were very yummy and very heavy. I brought about half of my dessert home. The service was pretty decent as far as the pace of the courses and drink refills, but our server stopped by a few times to casually chat while we were eating our food. We had to ask him to let us finish our meal before talking. No offense, I was there to talk to my dining companion, not the waiter.

We were surprised at how casual and diverse the restaurant clientele was. There were families with small, well behaved children, older couples, and people our age in groups. This is the most casual of the Buckhead Life Group restaurants I've been to. People were in everything from skirts to shorts and sandals. Given the quality of the food, we will be back. It would be a nice place to go with another couple or two.

• Pros: Excellent food, good desserts, good for families with children, valet parking
• Cons: Chatty servers, waiting even with reservations